Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of the Past
by GemGuardianLucario
Summary: Kate always was different from the rest. Even among fellow students sharing her dream of becoming a Pokemon Ranger, there was a certain air of mystery around Kate. She doesn't like to talk about her past. She tries to hide it for the dark secrets within. When darkness threatens Almia, Kate's past begins to come to light. What secrets does she hold? What do they mean for Almia?
1. Kate's Story Prologue 1

**Revised 12/14/15**

 **I wrote this one horribly first time through. Thanks you, Jaegothis. Added MUCH more on Megan.**

 **Well, I'm not exactly sure how to open here… Let's try something like...**

 ** _It was a dark and stormy night…_**

 **No. No. Just, no. WAY too cliché.**

 ** _Naannnttsssss Ingonyaaaa…_**

 **Nah, Disney would have my ass for that one…**

 **Chia used Barge In! It's super effective!**

 **Chia: Hello, scrawny teenage writer with no life!**

 **What the hell?! How the (Foul language! Avert thy eyes!) did you get here?!**

 **Chia: Sky granted your request to let me help with your intros. To get here, let's just say I pulled a few favors from some Legendary Pokemon…**

 **Wonderful… as if Final Exams didn't drop me on the threshold of hell, the Pachirisu from the Black Lagoon will…**

 **Chia: Hey, you're the one that requested my presence, since you said that you can't write intros well.**

 **Sigh... Fine. G'head and introduce the story already...**

 **Chia: Gladly. A-HEM!**

 **Chia: Hello, readers! Welcome to the first story written by GemGuardianLucario! Not sure why he chose that name. He's kinda the exact opposite of the real one…**

 **Great, I'm being mocked by Wisenheimer the Static Squirrel…**

 **Chia: I'm going to ignore that. Anyways, he's alternating between the viewpoints of Kate, Kellyn, and Kieth. He'll mark the chapters so it's clear which view he's writing in. Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

Kate's Story (Prologue 1)

Drowning in Tears

* * *

 _Kate never could sit still. No matter where she was or what time it was, Kate was always bursting with energy._

 _Kate ran into the kitchen, seeking out her mother._

 _"Mom? Will you play tag with me?"_

 _Lexia, Kate's mother, was a woman of average height. Her youngest daughter had the same blue eyes, but her blonde hair was a trait only the elder child shared. Kate admired her mother for her kindness and generosity, hoping to one day be just as such herself. Kate ran up to her, hoping to have her request granted._

 _"I"d love to honey, but I'm making dinner. Maybe after we clean up the dishes."_

 _"Aww..."_

 _"Why don't you go ask Dad? I don't think he's busy right now."_

 _Kate quickly cheered up. Without wasting a second, she dashed into the living room, where her father was reading his newspaper._

 _"Dad? Will you play tag with me?"_

 _Unlike her mother, Kate's father, Leon, was a rather tall man, slightly over six feet in height. His jet-black hair was cut short to keep it out of his warm brown eyes, his full-fledged beard trimmed equally close. despite his burly appearance, Leon was a very gentle person. He was also a sucker for his daughters.  
_

 _"Sorry, sweetie, but work was busy today, and I'm exhausted."_

 _Mom was busy and dad was tired. Neither of them would play with her. However, Kate still had one option._

 _She flew up the stairs, sounding more like a herd of Donphan than a nine-year-old girl._

 _She stopped at the end of the hallway, just long enough to open the door, before she took off yet again._

 _"Megan? Will you play tag with me?"_

 _Megan Summers, Kate's older sister, looked up from her desk, her previous task momentarily forgotten._

 _Kate always loved her sister's flowing blonde hair and gentle green eyes, admiring just how beautiful she looked. Kate adored her sister, spending most of her free time with her. Megan was equally adoring of the bundle of laughter and energy that was her little sister. If she wasn't out with her friends or working on schoolwork, it was a safe bet she was with Kate._

 _Megan sighed. She wanted to play with Kate, but she had something else to do._

 _"Sorry, Kate, but I'm really busy now..."_

 _"What are you doing, Meg?"_

 _"I'm working on my homework, Kate."_

 _"you're STILL working on it? Yikes, you've been up here for hours..."_

 _"I'm taking Advanced Chemistry and Accelerated Physics, Kate. Of course have loads of homework..."_

 _"Don't you hate being cooped up in your room for so long?"_

 _"Well... Yeah, but I need to keep my grades up. I signed up for the classes, so I need to work at them."_

 _"But don't you want a break? Maybe sometime soon?"_

 _"Yeah, but... Why are you asking, Kate?  
_...

 _"Tag! You're it!"_

 _"KATE!"_

 _Kate ran down the hall and out the front door, giggling in her usual cheerful manner._

 _"Come back here!"_

 _"Come and get me, Meg!"_

 _"If you insist..."_

 _Megan put on a burst of speed, closing the distance between herself and her sister with surprising swiftness._

 _"Heheheheeeee!" Kate giggled shrilly, delighted to have someone to play with._

 _Before long, Megan's annoyance began to fade, turning into the same enjoyment she felt whenever she was with her sister._

 _Nearly an hour had passed before their mother called to them._

 _"Megan! Kate! Time for dinner!"_

 _"Coming, mom!"_

 _Kate smiled with her usual cheerful grin. Whether Kate needed help, was feeling down, or just needed someone to be with, Megan would be there for her._

* * *

 _"Kate, can you get Megan? It's time for dinner!"_

 _"Yeah, Mom!"_

 _Kate half-walked, half-skipped down the hall to her older sister's room. Even though she spent the day in the Lyra Forest with Spenser, her good friend and the leader of the Ringtown Rangers, she was still bursting with energy._

 _"Megan! Time for dinner!"_

 _..._

 _"Megan!"_

 _..._

 _"Meg, are you there?"_

 _..._

 _"Meg, are you asleep?"_

 _..._

 _"Meg! Come on! It's dinnertime!_

 _Kate nudged open the door to her sister's room, still cheerful and full of energy, only to stop dead at the sight that greeted her. Megan, Kate's witty, cheerful sister, lying on her bed, her wrists slit, blood staining her sheets a morbid red._

 _"Meg…" Kate whispered._

 _She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't change what had happened. Megan Evelyn Summers, with her mother's long, blonde hair and her father's piercing green eyes, with a cheerful, witty, life of the party personality all her own, had taken her own life._

 _Kate deflated, her usual energy completely vanishing at the awful sight of her sister's body. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a note roughly scribbled on a piece of notebook paper. She picked it up and looked it over, trying to decipher the messy writing with great difficulty._

 _"I'm sorry that you had to put up with me._ _I'm not worth anything to anyone._ _I was always trying to make you proud of me. I auditioned for choir, I signed up for Honors classes, and I tried to get a job. Whenever I tried to impress you, all I did was fail. I wasn't good enough for the play. My grades kept falling. I lost my job within a month. All I've done is bring you trouble. You'd be better off with me gone. Goodbye."_

 _"Oh, Meg..." Something inside Kate snapped. Whatever it was that had kept her sane when she found her sister's body and that horrible note, it had abandoned her, giving way to panic, disbelief, and despair._

 _"Meg! Meg! Please! Meg! Wake up! Say something! Anything! Meg!"_

 _Kate's words failed her, no longer being able to force them through her sobbing. At some point, she wasn't quite sure when, her parents appeared beside her, trying to calm her down. The effort was pointless, though. Their attempts to console her fell on deaf ears. Kate could not be calmed. Their attempts only made her sobbing louder, they only made the emptiness inside her bigger. Four more words, then Kate could no longer speak through her tears.  
_

 _"Meg… I miss you…"_

* * *

 **Chia: Wow, first chapter EVER, and you're already putting Kate through hell?**

 **It's called character development. Besides, doesn't she get horribly injured, emotionally shattered, or completely lose it every five chapters or so in your author's stories?**

 **Chia: True… Sky isn't exactly kind to her in her stories… But killing off her sister? The sister that she looks up to and relies on? Now THAT'S a new one…**

 **That's sort of the point...**

 **Chia: Also, isn't it a little long for a prologue?**

 **This chapter is mainly backstory. The main chapters will be more manageable in length.**

 **Chia: Anyways, please be sure to give him some feedback on the chapter. Arceus knows this guy needs it…**

 **Sky, I may not be able to guarantee the safety of this little (Foul language omitted for sake of readers) of a Pachirisu for very long…**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chia: So, you're finally updating?**

 **Urgh… Yep…**

 **Chia: Yikes, what happened to you? You look like you were hit by a train!**

 **Christmas. FAMILY Christmas. 'Nuff said.**

 **Chia: Oh… yeugh…**

 **Yeah, it kinda sucked. I tried to be social this year, I really did.**

 **Chia: Tried?**

 **I gave up after half an hour. I went down into the basement.**

 **Chia: Isn't that where you set up your GameCube?**

 **Yep. That's kinda the point. I just booted up Pokemon Colosseum. I love that game.**

 **Chia: Knowing YOUR family, I can't say I blame you.  
**

 **Yeah. Anyways, let's get back on topic. Let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

Chapter 1

Ranger School

* * *

"Pika….. CHU!"

"Yikes!" For how cute and tiny the Pikachu looked, it was putting up a good fight. With the capture bar nearly full, it decided to let loose a torrent of electricity, breaking the capture line and wasting valuable time. _"Come on, just hold still for a few seconds…"_

With three more loops, she had done it. Katelyn Skylar Summers had captured Pikachu and passed her test!

"Hehehe… Well done." The man running the test stepped out of the shadows. "My name is Kaplan. Now, since you've passed your test, you are now a part of our secret army… The inscrutable Team School!"

 _"What? Secret army? Team School?"_ Kate sweatdropped. _"Something's not right here…"_

"Now, new member, you keep that styler as proof of your admittance. Together, we shall rule…"

"KAPLAN!"

Kate jumped, startled by the shout. _"I think my ears are bleeding a bit…"_

However, the man called Kaplan outdid her. "Eep!" Kaplan had to have jumped five feet. The Pikachu cringed and ran off before someone else started screaming.

A tall woman in a green shirt and white shorts walked in, clearly furious.

"Enough of this!" She shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you…"

Kate couldn't make out the rest over the ringing in her ears. _Dear Arceus!_ How long has she been yelling without taking a breath? Two minutes? Three?

Eight minutes… Eight freaking minutes until she stopped yelling…Afterwards, she seemed to calm down quickly. Kaplan, on the other hand…

"Sorry about that." She said. "I'm Ms. April. Your name is Katelyn, right?"

"Yes, but I prefer to be called Kate."

"Ok then, Kate. I'll be sure to remember that. Follow me, you're in my class. I'll show you the way."

"Thank you."

When Ms. April and Kate were nearly at the door, Kaplan oh-so-kindly yelled "Remember to watch what you say. There are spies everywhere!"

 _"KAPLAN!"_

Yep, her ears were definitely bleeding… Kate made a mental note to not make Ms. April angry…

A woman in a uniform similar to Kaplan's stepped towards Kate. "Kaplan teases the students, Ms. April chews out Kaplan, anyone nearby gets a headache, same old story."

"Is this normal around here?"

"Around here, nothing is normal." She said.

"Well, is it common?"

"Yep." The woman said. "He shoots his mouth off almost daily. I'm Mrs. Claire, by the way."

"Kate. Nice to meet you."

"Since Kaplan teaches Captures while I teach Target Clears, We share a classroom. Normally, it's bearable. But when Ms. April is around…" Mrs. Claire shivered. No further explanation needed.

"Target Clears? What are those?"

"Oh, right. You've only just joined us. You wouldn't know about Target Clears yet." Mrs. Claire said. "We've got some time waiting for Ms. April to calm down. How about I show you the basics while we wait."

"Sounds good to me." Kate said.

Three Bidoof, Three crates, and six minutes of Ms. April screaming, later, Kate understood the basics. By that point, Ms. April had calmed down again. "Alright, Kate, let's go to my classroom."

Kaplan took a breath, like he was about to say something else. However, Mrs. Claire's death glare silenced him before Ms. April had the chance to.

As they walked towards the main building, Mrs. April was explaining something to Kate, but she was lost in her thoughts, tuning out everything but her own mind.

"I did it! I made it into the Ranger School! Spenser would be proud of me. I wonder what he'll say?"

"Kate." Mrs. April's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"What?"

"Were you listening at all?"

"Umm…"

Mrs. April sighed loudly. "Oh well, I can't say I'm surprised. A lot has happened today. It's not unusual that new students are a little distracted on the first day."

Mrs. April stopped in front of a door. "Here we are. This is my room. Just wait here for a moment, please."

Not even a full minute had passed when Mrs. April called here in, but an uncharacteristic rush of energy made it feel like she had been waiting for hours. Kate stepped through the door, a rare smile showing through her normally indifferent expression.

* * *

 **Chia: Wait a second, some of those details don't match up…**

 **That's intentional. Once again, it's called character development.  
**

 **Chia: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Or in your case, a train wrech by any other term would be just as horrid. Regardless, please review, help this guy improve the story, even though it seems like a lost cause…**

 **Alright, get over here, you little #$%!**


End file.
